Conversion Tracking & Analytics Setup
GA4, Google Tag Manager and ad-platform conversions set up so a form fill, a call and a sale are counted once, attributed correctly, and still working next month.
- Stack
- GA4 · GTM · Google Ads · Meta · calls
- Tested
- Every event, end to end
- Documented
- A measurement plan you keep
- Consent
- Consent Mode where it is required
Overview
Half the marketing decisions we see are made on numbers that were wrong.
A default Google Analytics install counts page views and little else. Ad platforms left to set themselves up fire a conversion when the thank-you page loads, when the form button is clicked, and sometimes when the page is refreshed — so the account optimizes toward people who refresh pages. Phone calls, which for many small businesses are most of the leads, are not counted at all. Decisions get made on this data every month.
Conversion tracking done properly starts with a short measurement plan: what counts as a lead or a sale for you, where each one happens, and what it should be called. Then we implement it in Google Tag Manager, send it to GA4 and to each ad platform, and test every event end to end — watch it fire in the browser, confirm it lands in the reports — before anyone relies on it. Calls get tracked. Duplicates get removed. Consent Mode is configured where the law or your audience requires it.
You end up with a document that says what every event means and a setup that is in your accounts, so whoever runs your marketing next can read the numbers and trust them.
Capabilities
What's included
- Measurement planEvery conversion and important interaction defined — name, trigger, value, destination — in a document you keep.
- GA4 configurationProperty, data streams, key events, custom dimensions, internal traffic filters and retention set up properly.
- Google Tag Manager implementationOne container, versioned and documented, so tags can be changed without a developer each time.
- Ad platform conversionsGoogle Ads, Meta, LinkedIn and Microsoft conversions fed correctly, with enhanced conversions where supported.
- Call and form trackingPhone calls from the site and from ads counted as the leads they are; forms tracked on success, not on click.
- Server-side tagging and Consent ModeWhere ad blockers, browser restrictions or privacy rules justify it — not by default.
How We Work
Our approach
- 01
Plan
What counts, where it happens, what it is worth, and where the data needs to go.
- 02
Implement
Tag Manager, GA4 and the ad platforms configured from the plan, in your accounts.
- 03
Test
Every event fired in the browser and confirmed in the reports, including a real test lead.
- 04
Document and hand over
The measurement plan updated to match what was built, and a walkthrough of how to read it.
What You Get
Commitments
Every event, its trigger and its meaning — in a document, not a head.
We watch the event fire and then confirm it lands in GA4 and the ad platform.
GA4, Tag Manager and ad accounts in your name; we are a user.
To Get Started
What we need from you
- Admin access to GA4, Tag Manager and your ad accounts, or permission to create them in your name.
- A list of everything that counts as a conversion for you, and roughly what each is worth.
- Access to the website or a developer who can place the Tag Manager container once.
- Any privacy or consent requirements your industry or customers' locations impose.
Common Questions
Questions we get asked
What is wrong with the default GA4 setup?
Out of the box, GA4 counts page views, scrolls and outbound clicks and calls them engagement. It does not know what a lead is for your business, does not separate your own staff's visits from customers', and keeps data for two months by default. The property needs to be told what matters before its reports mean anything.
Do we need Google Tag Manager?
Almost always, yes. Tag Manager puts every tag — GA4, Google Ads, Meta, call tracking — in one place with version history, so changes do not need a developer and a deploy each time, and so you can see exactly what is running on the site. A site with tags pasted directly into templates becomes unmaintainable within a year.
What is server-side tracking and do we need it?
It routes tracking through a server you control instead of straight from the visitor's browser, which recovers data lost to ad blockers and browser restrictions and gives you more control over what is shared. It costs money to run and adds complexity, so we recommend it when the ad spend or data loss justifies it — not as a default.
Why do Google Ads and GA4 report different numbers?
They count differently by design: Google Ads attributes a conversion to the click date and to its own ads; GA4 attributes it to the conversion date and shares credit across channels. Some gap is normal. A large gap usually means a tag is firing twice, missing on one platform, or counting clicks instead of completions, which the health check finds.
Can you track phone calls?
Yes. Clicks on the phone number are tracked on the site, and for businesses where calls matter we set up call tracking that swaps in a trackable number for visitors from each channel, so a call from a Google Ad is counted as a Google Ads lead. Calls are the most under-counted conversion in small-business marketing.
How long does setup take?
A typical small-business setup — plan, GA4, Tag Manager, two ad platforms, forms and calls, testing and documentation — takes a couple of weeks from access to handover. Larger sites, e-commerce purchase tracking and server-side tagging take longer and are scoped separately.
Count the leads
before you buy more.
Tell us what you sell, who buys it and what you have tried. We respond within one business day with what we would do first and what it costs.